Basic Didactics Course

Risbo is giving a four day course providing the opportunity to actively explore various basic didactic concepts. The course focuses on the three pillars of education: execution, development and testing. Associated themes include motivating your students, using digital learning tools, active work forms, giving feedback and designing test questions. The aim is that the theory presented can be immediately used in practice. One afternoon time will also be spent on Group Dynamics.The course focuses on the three pillars of education: execution, development and testing.Associated themes include motivating your students, using digital learning tools, active work forms, giving feedback and designing test questions. The aim is that the theory presented can be immediately used in practice. One afternoon there will also be time spend on Group Dynamics.

Target group and required prior knowledgeThe Basic Didactics course is primarily intended for research assistants (AIOs), PhD students and lecturers with little teaching experience. It may also be interesting for teachers taking part in the BKO-EVC programme to refresh and expand their knowledge and skills. No specific prior knowledge is required for this course.

The Basic Didactics course (in English) starts on Friday October 6, the second and third day will be on Friday 20 October and Wednesday 1 November. The course will end on either Wednesday 15 November or Friday 17 November.

Launch MOOC ‘Planning for Climate Change in African Cities’

What impact does climate change have on the expanding urban environment? How can densely populated cities protect themselves against global climate change? Which social and political changes are associated with rising temperatures, rainfall and sea levels?

It is expected that by 2050, half of the world’s population will live in cities. According to the IPCC, climate change will have a significant impact on exponentially expanding cities, particularly those in the African continent. The MOOC ‘Planning for Climate Change in African Cities’ forms the foundation for understanding cities’ exposure and vulnerability to climate change. How cities can manage these effects in the light of growing uncertainty will also be explained. The concepts ‘urban resilience and adaptation’ will be explained via illustrative case studies in various African cities.

The MOOC will answer questions such as: “Which policy and measures must be implemented to address climate change?”, “How do you choose between different measures that promote adapting to climate change, urban resilience and other development objectives?” The MOOC also offers videos about various approaches to climate change, the various steps in the planning cycle and the various decision and assessment instruments for prioritizing actions regarding climate change. Learners are offered the opportunity to apply the knowledge gained and practice their decision-making skills in a simulated exercise.

The ‘Planning for Climate Change in African Cities’ MOOC was produced by IHS in co-operation with ALGA (African Local Governments Academy).The MOOC will go live on 25 September 2017.

CEL would like to invite teachers from the universities of Leiden-Delft-Erasmus Rotterdam that are planning to innovate their course to participate in the special (and free!) opportunity: the Academic Teaching Lab.

The CEL Academic Teaching Lab is an exclusive opportunity for university teachers to immerse themselves in educational innovation for two days. The participants collaborate with colleagues and experts to improve their academic education through very practical and hands-on learning. The next edition of the Academic Teaching Lab will be organised on Thursday the 16th and Friday the 17th of November 2017.

The Academic Teaching Lab aims to provide teachers and educators with inspiration, flow and focus to improve the teaching they provide and the learning they facilitate. Together with educational experts and advisors, learning developers, teacher trainers and other professionals, ideas for development will be refined and various solutions explored. Feedback from peers and experts will strengthen their approach and guide them towards a solid plan of action that can be executed after these intensive days of study.

The first two editions of the Academic Teaching lab were evaluated by participants with a 9.1 and 8.6 out of 10! The deadline for submitting your proposal and registering via the form is Friday the 29th of September 2017.

Online Proctoring Pilots sought!

Risbo is participating in an Erasmus Plus project entitled “Online Proctoring for Remote Examination''. Online Proctoring enables students to sit exams remotely, online, and in a secure environment. Students are in effect supervised while they are online.

Online proctoring offers a unique opportunity to pioneer, and to make education flexible and more efficient. Part of the project involves a Risbo research study into how online proctoring can be implemented in existing curricula, preferably post-initial, and into its impact on these programmes. Risbo is also investigating how online proctoring can enhance existing online education (for example in MOOCs).

In early 2018, Risbo will start developing pilot projects to investigate online and remote testing in practice. If you would like to contribute to developing your own education and to the education of the (near) future, you are welcome to participate in an Online Proctoring pilot and to set up a (free) pilot together with us.

Those interested in participating in an Online Proctoring pilot should contact Mandy Hollander or Kris Stabel.

UTQ and BKE course, Police Academy

The police academy is an educational institution at which various study programmes are offered at higher professional education and academic higher education level to both prospective police officers and post-initial education. The quality of this education is extremely important, which is why Risbo has been asked to develop a BUTQ and BKE course for the police academy lecturers.

The course started in May 2017, in which 18 lecturers work in a blended learning format to improve their own education, with peer learning and community building being important building blocks. As well as getting lecturers to work on developing portfolios, supported by a Risbo coach, there are also fortnightly themed meetings.

The themes cover developing, implementing and testing education. Each meeting starts with an activating session by a lecturer, after which a theme is then addressed using interactive formats. A lesson observation is also carried out by a Risbo coach as part of the course, followed by a feedback interview. The BKE is interwoven in the course; the lecturers receive ‘the body of knowledge’ in the themed meetings, enabling them to work on authentic assignments that are associated with BKE competencies.

Table report Diversity and Education 2017

Risbo produced the Table Report Diversity and Education 2017 in May 2017. This report presents student influx, student retention and graduation rate data per EUR bachelor programme for the 2009-2016 period.

The tables can be used to determine how many students entered a study programme, how many students the study programme retained after two years (complementary to drop-out rates, which are usually presented) and how many students gained a diploma after four or six years. Developments regarding student influx, retention and graduation rates are presented according to the student characteristics of sex, prior education and ethnic origin.